Body and shoulder brace



BODY AND SHOULDER BRACE Filed Feb. 5. 1925 INVENTOR 14; A T'I'ORNEY.

Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,581,791 PATENT OFFICE."

ELWIN T, nAvIso v, or ATHENIA, NEW JERSEY.

BODY AND snounnnn BRACE.

Application filed February 5, 1925. Serial No. 6,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELWIN T. Dixvisoiv, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Athenia, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Body and Shoulder Braces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to body and shoulder braces and has for its particular objects the provision of a device that is comfortable to the user, effective for automatically corrooting the posture and durable when in constant use.

I am aware that heretofore numerous corrective devices have been devised, but none so far as I am aware possess the novel features embodied in my improved brace and consequently were incapable of accomplishing the same results.

My invention is fully set forth in the following detailed description and drawings forming a part of this specification in which Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved brace showing the same in position on the user and Fig. 2 is a transverse section along the lines 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings and the construction shown therein, the reference numerals, 1, 1' designate the rear and front members respectively of a' back-support member or pad formed of coutil cloth or other tough fabric, the same beingstiffened with lateral and central stays 2 and 3 respectively, of whale bone or the like.

At the top and bottom of said'support member, I provide loops at, a within which are secured links I), Z), of plates 0,0, each of said plates is provided with two end pins 4 and 5 respectively and central pins 6, which pins .serve to pivotally secure metallic traveler members 4, 5 and 6 to said support member.

Shoulder straps 7 7 are firmly secured or anchored at their rear ends to the said back support, the straps being so located that their lower edges at the point of juncture with said support substantially coincide with the transverse median line of the support. Said straps are secured attheir upper ends to links 8, 8' which are connected by pins or pivots 9, 9 with traveler members 10, 10. Suitable buckles 11, 11 permit of the ad two members 12, 12 adapted to be buckled justment of the length of the strap 7, 7 respectively.

An abdominal strap or band comprisin together is secured atits respective ends to links 13, 13 which are in turn connected by pins 14, 14 to travelers 15, 15;

A single continuous compensating cable or evener member d, preferably of stout cord, is reeved through the travelers carried by the back support and the shoulder straps and abdominal band respectively in themanner illustrated.

The brace is fitted to theflbody of the wearer in the manner shown and adjusted so that a slight steady, but almost imperceptible tension'wis exerted by the shoulder straps and abdominal band.- Whenso adjusted,- the brace is not only comfortable, but extremely effective for correcting round shoulders and the posture generally so that one instinctively assumes a correct posture. lfiurthcrmore, owing to the freedom of movement permitted by the evener cords, as well as the location and manner of securing the shoulder straps and abdominal band thereto, the wearer can participate in all kinds of vigorous exercises and-athletic events without necessitating the' removal of the brace or experiencing any discomfort when the same is so worn. In this particular respect my brace possesses highly important advantages over prior structures in that the growing youth is not disposed to discard it during his or her participation in the athletic events, at which time it may be of the utmost importance to the particular individual that the brace should be worn in order. to. exert a steady corrective influence upon the posture of the wearer.

The shoulder straps 7 7 are preferably formed of elastic webbing and the portion of the abdominal straps which is adjacent the ends carrying the links 18, 18 are also preferably formed of double elastic web- 1 bing, the same extending approximately onethird of the length of each of such abdominal straps, Whereas the remainder of each of such abdominal straps or bands is formed of plain inelastic webbing.

The functioning of the evener cord, as stated, to automatically compensate and distribute throughout the device any tension ererted by unduly tightening either one or both of the shoulder straps or. the abdominal 110 construction herein described without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in and covered by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States is: a

1. In a brace of vthe character described, the combination comprising a pad support, flexible means for stiffening the same longitudinally, means for. positioning the said support on the back of a wearer including a plurality of shoulder straps, each of said straps being anchored byjone of its ends directly to said pad support, and the otherend of each strap being secured to said support and being capable of automatic adjustment with respect thereto, an abdominal band and equalizer 'means interconnecting the vfree ends of said shoulder straps and the abdominal band with saidsupport, whereby the said brace automatically accommodates itself to body movements. c n

2. Ina brace of the character specified,

a pad support member adapted to fit the back of a wearer, abdominal bands each having one end permanently secured "to said pad support at points adjacent the bottom thereof, means for holding the support in position on the back of a wearer, including a plurality of strapsadapted to embrace the body of the wearer, each permanently secured at one of its ends to said support at a point intermediate the top and bottom of the latter, and the other ends of said straps being adjustably "secured t0 said support and being free to move with respect to said support and equalizer means interconnecting one of the ends of each of said straps, said bands and said support.

3. In a brace of the character specified, a pad support member provided with longitudinal stiffening stays, a plurality of traveler members pivot-ally. secured to the said support adjacent the top and bottom thereo't',a plurality of: shoulder straps each permanently secured at one of its ends to said support at points adjacent the middle of said support from the top to bottom thereof and the other ends of said straps each being provided with a traveler member, pivotally secured thereto, abdominal'bands, each of the same having a traveler member pivotally secured to one of its ends, and a continuous evener cord reeved successively and alternately through traveler members secured .to the shoulder straps and traveler members secured to the top of said support and thence reeved through a traveler member secured to .the botton'rot' said support and thence alternately rcev'ed through traveler members secured to the abdominal bands and thence through another traveler member secured to the bottom of said support.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 4th day of February, 1925.

ELWIN T. DAVISON. 

